E23 casino plan dead; developer looking to Rensselaer

albany >> The developer and operator of the proposed E23 Casino are now looking across the river due to a lack of usable acres at their original site, according to officials in the Albany Mayor’s Office.

“We were just told by the operator and developer that they are now looking at a site in Rensselaer, not at E23 due to a lack of usable acres,” said a spokesman with Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s office Wednesday.

The casino project, which proposed a development near Exit 23 on the Thruway, had garnered excitement over the past few months, with Capital Gaming’s creation of the E23 Business Alliance in April that was comprised of more than 40 local business owners.

Despite this, the Albany Common Council appeared to err on the side of caution with the proposal. Some representatives, in recent weeks, did not want to voice their opinions on E23 until they saw an agreement from the developer. The council also never set a date to vote on the project, though some had speculated as recently as Tuesday that such a vote might take place at their next meeting on June 16.

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Now, council president pro tempore Richard Conti has called the project “dead,” citing information in an article in today’s Business Review.

And Councilmember Judd Krasher said this is an example of “broken promises and empty dreams.”

He continued: “We all knew this moment was coming. In our heart of hearts, we all knew ... All those added jobs, gone. All that revenue to the city of Albany – gone. The sad thing is that no matter what we were being told, none of these things were ever going to happen. The E23 project is dead and David Flaum has found a new, prettier site to move on to.”

Calls to Flaum Management and the city of Rensselaer were not immediately returned.

Danielle Sanzone may be reached at 270-1292.

Albany Common Councilmember Judd Krasher has released the following statement on Albany’s E23 casino proposal’s demise.

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“E23 was never Flaum’s real first choice. He first targeted a site in Mamakating, N.Y. and when making a presentation at a senior center down there, he promised that was the only site he was looking at[1]. That was his first lie. From there, he went to the former Tobin First Prize site in Colonie. When that wasn’t going to work, his son selected the next site off of Google Maps and E23 was born. Presentations were made and partnerships formed but that was all for show.”

“Those who know me know that I have been against this project from the beginning for these kind of reasons. The detrimental fiscal and societal impact that E23 would have had on the community would have been nothing short than devastating. I strongly urge Rensselaer to consider who they are dealing with and the negative effect this will have upon the